“Do I have much of a choice?”
“With this?” She smiled, straightening her hands over her jacket. A shaping began to build, incredible power flowing through her with it. “Unfortunately, no.”
6
The city of Ephra was not large, at least not when compared to many of the other cities within Terndahl. Unlike Amitan, where there was evidence of shapings all throughout the city, buildings that had been simply shaped into existence, the Shapers Path crisscrossing above the city, making it not an unusual sight to find shapers making their way along it, Ephra had nothing like that. It was a place of energy and power, but it was also remote. On the outskirts of Terndahl, not only did they find it quieter, with fewer merchants making their way to and from the city, there was less shaping energy used throughout the city overall.
When he’d been here previously, Tolan hadn’t been nearly as aware of that fact. Even now, it was a strange sensation, one that came to him initially as something not quite as he expected it, but the longer he was here and looking around, it became clearer just what troubled him. It was the lack of shapings.
Whereas in Amitan at any given time, Tolan might detect a shaping used around him, in Ephra there was only the rare sense of shaping. Perhaps some of that had to do with the time of day. It was late enough, the sun already starting to set, the breeze gusting in and out of the north still warm but already starting to turn cooler, and a sense of quiet emanating from his earth sensing. All of that seemed to trigger a warning, an alert that things were different.
Despite that, Tolan maintained his own shaping. The journey with the Grand Inquisitor had trained him to hold onto it, to ensure he had protections wrapped around himself, protections ensuring no one would be able to sneak in and spirit shape his mind. He doubted they would be successful anyway, but on the off chance they would, he wanted to be ready. With a shaping held like this, it was even less likely someone would surprise him.
“You’re tense,” the Grand Inquisitor said, watching him.
“Am I?”
“Your shoulders, mostly. The rest of you seems coiled, as if you’re prepared for an attack at any given time.”
Tolan took a deep breath, trying to relax. Strangely, it was more difficult than he’d expected. This was Ephra, after all, and the only time he had any trouble here was when he’d been attacked by the Inquisitors. “I think what I went through the last time has stuck with me.”
“I’m not surprised. I doubt anyone in the city knows what you experienced.”
“Isn’t that the point?”
“Perhaps it is. It wouldn’t do well for the rest of Terndahl to know something has happened with the Inquisitors.” She paused. A shaping built from her, and since Tolan was holding onto a shaping of his own, he was able to detect the way she used earth mingled with a bit of water, a twisting of the two that she pushed out in all directions. It was a strange sort of shaping, but he could understand the utility of it. As she pushed, an unexpected element joined with it: spirit.
“What was that shaping for?”
The Grand Inquisitor pressed her lips together as her shaping continued to build. Power flowed from her, sweeping away and into the street, and then beyond. “This is my way of detecting whether we have any need for concern.”
“Are you able to detect Inquisitors that way?”
“It’s possible, but mostly it allows me to determine how many shapers are near us.”
“Ephra doesn’t have that many shapers.”
“You’d be surprised.”
Tolan cocked his head. He focused on how she’d mixed earth and water, repeating the shaping. As he pushed it out, trying to mimic what he’d seen from the Grand Inquisitor, he added spirit much the same way she had. His control over spirit wasn’t nearly as fine-tuned as hers, and he felt as if he overloaded the shaping, adding far more spirit than he intended. It was a burst of power, and in doing so, it fatigued him.
A reverberation of energy bounced back at him. It came strangely, but it echoed within the portion of the shaping in which he had added spirit.
There were dozens of echoes, each of them varying in intensity and strength. Some of them were far closer than he would’ve expected, and the closest came from the Grand Inquisitor.
Shapers. Dozens of them.
“There are more than I would’ve expected.”
“You will be dangerous one day, Shaper Ethar.”
He retreated, withdrawing his connection to his shaping, a flush washing over him. Perhaps he shouldn’t be quite so forward with how he shaped. The Grand Inquisitor had tolerated him so far, and she’d made no comment about the fact he’d created a section of Shapers Path, but how long would he be granted the same flexibility? At some point, he could see she’d grow tired of him and the way he pushed.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”
“You’re mistaken if you think I’m upset with you. I’m merely commenting on the fact you have a talent for observing a shaping and recreating it. There aren’t many who have that same talent.”
“I think it comes from the fact I wasn’t able to shape on my own for so long. I watched, and it increased my ability to sense so I can detect what shapings are used around me.”
“Perhaps that’s all it is.”
He turned away. He didn’t think she knew about his connection to the elementals, but when it came to recreating a shaping he was able to detect, as far as he could tell, that didn’t seem to come from the elementals. That came from within him. Somehow he was able to uncover the nature of the shaping, though his ability to do so stemmed at least in part from the time he’d spent working with the various elementals, trying to understand as much as he could about them, if only so he could recreate them.
“When we were here the last time, I understood you did not have a place to stay.”
“My parents disappeared when I was young,” he said quickly. He’d become accustomed to talking about his parents in such a way, and he said it without really even thinking, though when it came to someone like her, she likely knew what had happened to his parents even if he hadn’t shared with her everything about them.
“I’m aware of that fact,” she said.
“Master Daniels took me in and allowed me to stay with him, but…” He looked along the street. It was strange. He suspected when others returned to their home villages or cities, they felt a sense of homecoming. There were people he knew, and the places were familiar, but finding more than that was beyond him. There wasn’t anything in any of the buildings he’d consider his home. And he didn’t have any desire to stay in his old home, less so now he had discovered truths about his parents and the way they’d seemed to deceive him. When he’d been here before, he’d been tempted to go to Tanner and see if his old friend would have put him up for the night, and he suspected Tanner would’ve at least considered it, even if he’d have hesitated to do so.
“Another place it is, then. We have a long couple of days ahead of us.”
“Will you walk me through what’s required of the Selection?” He didn’t remember all that was involved in the Selection process. Though he’d come before, his experience had been such that he’d been on the periphery. Now he was a third-level student, and now there didn’t appear to be any other master shapers with them, it meant he’d most likely take a greater role in the Selection process.
“When the time comes, I will ensure you know your responsibility. For now, we’ll have other tasks we must accomplish.”
“What other tasks?”
“First we should rest.”
She guided him along the street, seeming to know exactly where she was going. He wasn’t surprised by that. He suspected the Grand Inquisitor had visited Ephra enough times over the years that she did know where she was going. It was only a little surprising he’d never known about those visits, but then why would he? In all of his years in the city, he’d never been a part of the shaping community. There would’ve been no reason f
or him to have known about the Grand Inquisitor visiting, and knowing her as he now did, he could imagine she’d have wanted to keep her presence in Ephra quiet.
They made a few turns, every so often passing others on the street, but no one seemed to pay them much mind. At first, he thought it strange. The people in Ephra were generally suspicious of those they viewed as outsiders. It was something coming from sitting so close to the waste, isolated. Though the people of Ephra were a part of Terndahl, the rest of Terndahl rarely made it here, and when they did, it was to a mixture of excitement and concern.
It took Tolan a few moments, passing several different groups of people, to realize the Grand Inquisitor shaped them with spirit.
“You don’t want them to remember you came?”
She glanced over at him. “It serves no purpose for others to be aware of our comings and goings. In fact, I would much rather very few people remember our visit.”
“Have you always done that?”
“It’s a simple matter to touch someone’s mind with just a hint of spirit. It doesn’t take away their memories, but it does make it so they don’t pay attention to us. It’s barely more than a touch, and it’s something I would caution you against attempting until you have greater control over your own spirit shaping.”
“I wasn’t—”
She flashed a smile at him. “Eventually you will need to try, Shaper Ethar. All I’m suggesting is you be cautious when you try a shaping like that. Much damage can be done with spirit shaping. You have used it well so far, but your shapings involving spirit have not required you to attempt to shape someone’s mind. The moment you do, everything begins to change. Reaching into a person’s thoughts, into their mind, is not only an intimate thing, but it is a potentially dangerous thing to someone inexperienced. That is why we teach the Inquisitors slowly. One shaping must be mastered before another is attempted.”
“I didn’t know.”
“You do now.”
Tolan nodded. Could this be why the Grand Inquisitor had wanted him to come with her? It made a different sort of sense, especially given his growing connection to spirit, and he could easily imagine she’d had him come with her so he didn’t make a mistake and damage someone else using spirit. She was right—he had only attempted to mingle spirit with the other shapings, never having attempted to use it on someone’s mind. Others had done the same on him, but they had all been Inquisitors.
“What all is involved in becoming an Inquisitor?”
“You would be interested?”
Tolan shrugged. “I don’t really know what I want to do when I’m done with the Academy. I can shape spirit, and I guess that means I have the potential to be an Inquisitor.”
She paused, glancing in his direction. “There is more to serving as one of the Inquisitors than simply an ability to shape spirit, Shaper Ethar. There are many within the Academy who have the ability to shape spirit but who do not serve as Inquisitors. That is no failing of theirs. The Inquisitors have been a selective group over the years for that very purpose. The training is very rigid and challenging.”
“Is that all about spirit shaping?”
“Perhaps I will give you a taste of it while we are here. You can decide if it’s something that interests you. If not, then when we return to the Academy, you can return to the library. I do believe Master Minden has claimed you.”
Another wash of heat started from deep within him, a flush he tried to suppress. “Master Minden has been working with me.”
“Of course, she has. She sees in you an interest in scholarship. She has tried to claim all who demonstrate any ability over the years.”
It amused him somewhat that she’d make a comment like that. It seemed almost as if there was some jealousy between various factions within the Academy.
“I warn you. I haven’t taught a single student in many years. I have always been known to be something of a harsh instructor.”
Tolan could easily imagine how harsh she could be, but at the same time, the opportunity to study with her and learn how to shape spirit would be valuable. Even if he never became one of the Inquisitors, understanding spirit shaping in a way that would not result in harming someone had value. The rumors about the Grand Inquisitor were frightening, though he didn’t believe those that claimed her last student had died because of the shaping. That was probably nothing more than a rumor.
He wouldn’t need to work with the Grand Inquisitor. There would be others he could work with. He suspected Master Minden would be more than willing to try to help him understand how to shape spirit. Perhaps even the Grand Master himself. Even if they were willing, what could he learn from an Inquisitor—and the Grand Inquisitor, at that?
They veered off, stopping in front of a tavern. The sign hanging from the awning named it the Red Draasin, an interesting name for a tavern. It was quiet inside, not the same bawdy sort of noise he often heard from various taverns, and as the Grand Inquisitor paused at the door, her hand resting on it, a shaping washed outward from her. This was similar to the one she’d used earlier in the street, a mixture of earth and water she added a mixture of spirit to. It was her attempt at detecting shapers within, and in doing so, Tolan couldn’t help but wonder what she was detecting.
Using a similar shaping as she had, he added spirit once again, but this time he was more careful with how he did it. It was a gentle touch, and he let it wash away from him, pushing outward so he didn’t send an overwhelming amount of power. He didn’t want to overwhelm any patrons within the tavern, and as the shaping washed away from him, he had a moment of concern. He didn’t know if this shaping caused any injury to anyone inside or whether this simply was some detection type of shaping.
There came no echo, no reverberation, as there had when he’d used it out on the street.
Nodding to herself, the Grand Inquisitor pushed the door open and stepped inside.
Tolan hesitated a moment before following her. She wanted to find a place with no shapers? Was that because she didn’t want anyone to be able to protect themselves from her spirit shaping, or was it because she wanted to ensure there was no threat to her before stepping inside?
The tavern was small, though typical for Ephra. A cluster of tables filled most of the empty space. Stools situated around the tables went mostly unoccupied. A couple of lanterns hung from hooks on the ceiling, giving a flickering sort of light. Fire danced in the hearth along the far wall, smoke drifting lazily into the room. Tolan suspected if he were to try, he could detect the hint of an elemental in that smoke. There had to be no more than a half dozen people within the tavern, most of them sitting by themselves, leaning over tables and drinking ale or picking at food. The Grand Inquisitor guided him to a table along the back wall. When she took a seat, she focused on the door leading to what Tolan assumed was the kitchen.
“Why here?” he asked.
“Do you object to this place?”
Tolan shook his head. “I’m not familiar with it.”
“And yet, you’re from Ephra.”
“There are thousands of us who live in Ephra. And I suspect there are dozens of taverns.” Unlike some, Tolan wasn’t the kind of person to spend considerable time in taverns. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy them, it was just that he had focused so much on maintaining his apprenticeship with Master Daniels, wanting to ensure he didn’t anger the man and run the risk of losing that apprenticeship. Had he known then what he knew now, he might have taken more time to relax and enjoy himself.
“I’ve stayed here before,” the Grand Inquisitor said. At least that answered the question Tolan had. He suspected she was familiar with this tavern, and it was nice to have that confirmed. “The owner turns a blind eye to various activities taking place here.”
“It didn’t take you for the kind of person who needed an owner of a tavern to turn a blind eye.”
“I don’t, but others do.” She scanned the inside of the tavern, and as she did, he realized yet again that she used a sh
aping. This time, he detected it as a subtle sort of touch. It was barely anything. The shaping seemed to be spirit exclusively, and it made sense why no one looked in their direction.
“How do you intend to get served if you prevent everyone from seeing us?”
“It’s not so much I’m preventing them from seeing us. It’s more a suggestion they forget about us. Besides, I don’t need to worry about getting served. If it comes down to it, I merely need to send a request to the tavern owner, and I have little doubt he will send someone over to provide us with everything we need.”
As he sat there, Tolan realized he was hungry. His stomach grumbled, reminding him the last time they had eaten had been while stopping on the Shapers Path. The Grand Inquisitor watched him, seeming to realize his discomfort, and she grinned at him. “If you’re hungry, we can order.”
Tolan looked over at a nearby table. The food had something of an unappealing appearance to it. The meat looked fatty and tough. The vegetables were wrinkled. There was no bread. The only things seeming to make up for it were the large mugs of ale, and he suspected with enough ale, any food tasted good.
“Does it have to be here?”
She watched him for a moment, her shaping directed toward him but sliding off the protections he’d placed. “You don’t have to stay here. You only have to meet me in the morning. Sunrise. At the edge of the waste.”
“The waste? Why would you want to go there?”
“Consider it my way of trying to prepare for what we must do.” She looked around the inside of the tavern and waved a hand at him. “You may go.”
“That’s okay. I can—”
“You don’t have to stay here,” she said again.
Tolan understood. She didn’t want him to stay. Whatever she intended to do needed his absence.
Getting up from the table, he made it to the door. As he did, he realized the people within the tavern turned generally in his direction, but only for a moment before they turned their attention back to their plates or their ale.
The Spirit Binds Page 7